ARE JOINT-FAMILIES OBSOLETE?

Though much can be said in support of the joint-family,it is a fact that they are increasingly being

replaced with nuclear families comprising wife,husband and one or two children.To some extent this

is caused by the migration of children to other cities where the wife joins the husband after marriage.

In these cases,nuclear family is the only option as even if one wishes to be a part ofa joint family,it is

not possible.But to a large extent,the increasing tendency towards nuclear families is attributed to the

married couple's preference to live away from one's parents.This is more so among the educated

couples who being influenced by western ways of living prefer to be on their own rather than live with

other members of the family like one's parents or brothers.In some the parents themselves advise

their married sons to live separately to avoid misunderstandings with the daughter-in-law and the

resultant tensions.Joint-families are on the out and nuclear families are becoming the in-thing.